High-speed rail truck



July 3l, 1951 E. H. PIRON y 2,562,573

HIGH-SPEED RAIL TRUCK Filed March 13, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet l lJuly 3i, 1951 E, H, PlRQN I 2,562,573

HIGH-SPEED RAIL TRUCK Filed March 13, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 E. H. PIRON HIGH-SPEED RAIL TRUCK July 3l, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 13, 1947 gmc/nm e0 A/ July 31, 1951 E. H. PxRoN 2,552,573

HIGH-SPEED RAIL TRUCK Filed March 1e, 1947 f 4 sheets-sheet 4 Patented July 31, 195

* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

2,562,573 HIGH- sIEED infin;y TRUCK EmiiH. Piron, New York, N. assignorv to Transit Research Corporation, New York,*N.V Y., acorporation ofN ew York Application March'iealom, serial No; 734,339;

The invention relatesv to railtrucks ofr` the gen- Y eral type employing'outboard'bearings and which may suitably, but not necessarily', be equipped withitsown propulsion-'motors "Ihetruck,v as illustrated,is particularly adapted'for moderately highY speed servicev such' as' subways andrapid transit lines. of suitable size it is adaptable' for use? on steam railway" lines. n Y Y An objectof this "invention isV to' provide/a truck composed of thet minimum number of parts, which will givemaximumriding comfort','whichwill`v be very reliable andY hence suitablefor such dangerous service as subways; and vwhich willv re1- qu'ire' small maintenanceiforv uniform service 'over prolonged periodsl offtime Another Qbjectis to provide improved truclcj bolsterv Supports without the n use of' swing links,

the supports being composed` of a springnest supporting; each V`enrtlroijV thejbolster directlyrom thejtruck` springs. The essence of this'part of the" inventionlies' in vthe` provision of adequate" springing of 'the-bolster for relative'vertical-movements yaccording to "a" predeterminedfload deiiection curve` and in thexuseofrthespringl nests to providev resistanceto lateral movementsv of the bolster; according` to ay different predetermined' load deflection curve, each-curveV ascending, if' desired, according tov a different increasing loadA deflection ratio under increasing loads.

Another object isr` to' provide'v aj truck frame which Vis very resistant'to distortion in a'- horizontal-plane but" which iscomposed of two main parts-hingedA for relative pivotal movement'- diagonally ofu the framen in vertical arcs;

filed September 4, 1945] and4 Serial Number `669,323 filed-May 13, 1946; and the truck' herein is distinguishablether'efrom in that the'hinge action occurs at the axlesand furthermore, in'that the two truck halves-lare removableA from each other and from thea'X-les merely tical'liftin'g movements.

A furtherobject is toprovid a two-part truck frame :as above described in which-the'two parts or halves-are separated by a lresilient pad through the mediumofrwhiclithe hing-ingaction will or dinarily, but not necessarily, occur.

Other objects and advantages will become-here? inafter more fully apparent'as reference is'had to "the'accompanying drawings in which my in-` vention is illustrated and in which Without motors and when builtv Trucks generally capable of this 'action are revealed in my two prior applicationstserial Number 614,374,

by relative'ver- 4 Claims. (Cl. 10S-4182?) Figure l is a diagrammatic illustration of' thel Y motionsof my improved truck frame halveswith respect to'each other.

Figure 2 is a top elevation of my improved truck,

Figure 3 `is aside elevation of the truck,`

Figure' 41 is i a' vertical` section taken along the unas-'4 of Figure-2,

Figure` 51 isr a-vertical section?v of' oneV end of bolster, showing the spring assembly in elevation and its supporting-rail in section,

:FigureVV 6 is a vertical' section takenY along the' lineS-S of Figure 2;- the journal bearing being? shown in elevation,v l

Figure 7 is -a vertical section taken along the line l-l-of Figure 2, the: bearing being shown in elevation,

Figure 8i`s a've'rtical section taken along the- Y line 8-8 0i Figure 7, andr Figure 9 is a detail vertical sectiontaken alongl Referring first tqrigres 2 andi 3,l thefmain truck-'frame is composed off two main members l of the; truck frame.

frame'membe'r l isl goose-necked with an internalsemicylindrical shape to receive thebearl ing 3 and open at its-lower en'dso the` frameal may bedisengage'd from' contact with this bear? ing merely by vertically elevating-the member'.`

Internal flanges 6a: onthefframe end iiiengage'l v corresponding groovesv in theperiphery of the bearings 3"to contain thebearings laterally with'- res'pect tothe frame: The external surface-of the end 6 is also semicylindrical and covered by The end 92- ofthev member 2.1 y being valso goose-necked and "having an internal semicylindricalshape tofittl'ie exterior surface a resilient'r pad `3'.

is constructedsimilarlytothe endlfjy ofthe memev loerv 2 (asillustratedin Figure 7) and the other end'ot the-'member 2iis constructed similarly'to the: end "6'.

The frame member' 2f is formedto provide a. sen'iicylindricalV socket IUto receive one journal' bearingk 5; asV shown'in Figure` 6. This bearingtsithe` socket closely',4 as'do the other sockets'`M previously described sozthat there'` is no fore andsv aft or `lateral motion between'the framesmem'bers" The frame member: I is formed:

and the axles. similarly to theshowingLin Figure' 6 at theV other journal bearing 5; both members beingsimilarly; open below: thezijournal bearings so that .elevation of themembers disengages them from engage.: ment with the journal bearings;

It'will thus: bese'en that the truckv framer is:V composed; essentially, of the twotsimilar main: members! andiif The member l is:conriposedo'f:v an endportiont directly' overlying one journal; bearing 3'; an integral crosssmember Iaextendin'grthe widthofthe truckzandiwhich'is, in turn ine tegral with the sidesill'lb.

their The side sill" I b" has .i a goose-necked'portion to: receivethebearir'rg55xillustrated in the upper right corner of Figure 2 and is identical with the showing in Figure 6. The side sill Ib then terminates at the journal 3, shown in the upper left corner of Figure 2, in an end formation identical with the end formation 9 of Figure 7. The sill Ib at that end overlies the end of the member 2 which directly overlies the journal bearing 3 and which is shaped identically to the formation of the end 6 of the member I, illustrated in Figure 7. The member 2 then continues through its integral cross-member portion 2a to its integral side sill portion 2b. The side sill 2b has a goose-necked portion IU as illustrated in Figure 6 and as illustrated in the lower left hand corner of Figure 2 which overlies a journal bearing 5. It then terminates in the end 9 at the lower right hand corner of Figure 2, as illustrated in Figure '7. Thus, at the lower right hand bearing of Figure 2 one end of the member I directly overlies a bearing 5 and is overlapped by an end of the member 2 while at the upper left hand bearing an end of the member 2 shaped identically to the end 6 of the member I overlies that bearing 3 and is overlapped by an end of the member I shaped identically to the end 9 of the member 2.

By this frame construction the frame is very rigid against diagonal distortion in ya, horizontal plane, but is capable of flexing in response to elevation of any wheel with respect to the other.

wheels. This is graphically illustrated in Figure 1 in which AB and CD represent the axles. If a force along the line DB, representing a side of the truck, is set to oppose a force in opposite direction operating on the other side frame AC the frame will offer great resistance to distortion. However, if any wheel, as at the corner A, is elevated or depressed through a distance A1A2, no other wheel is elevated since the effect is movement of the wheel A through the angle A1B1 (or C1)A2. In other words, from an inspection of Figures 2, 6 and 7, it is clear that the journal bearings 5 and hence the ends of the axles 4 contained in the bearings 5 have no relative fore and aft or lateral movement with respect to the frame members I and 2 so that the axles 4 must form a right angle with the side sills as seen at the lower left hand corner and upper right hand corner of Figure 2. However, inspection of Figure '7, illustrative of the construction at the other two corners of the frame, shows that the frame end 9 may move with respect to the frame end 6. If the journal bearing 5 is depressed by reason ofits wheel rolling into a track depression, for instance, the frame end 6 will follow the journal bearing downwardly as will the frame end 9. The connection illustrated thus constitutes a hinging of the frame members I and 2 at diagonally opposite corners and permits elevation or depression of any one of the four wheels of the truck without any tendency to lift or depress either of the other three wheels.

The main members I and 2 are each provided with a spring seat I I, welded thereto intermediate the axles 4. Each of these spring seats receives a nest of springs which support the bolster I2 for vertical and lateral movements with respect to the frame members. The spring nests are best illustrated in Figure 4 in which three concentric springs I3, I4 and I5 are illustrated. The outer spring I3 is a large coil spring which rests directly on the spring seat II and which receives e. spring cap I6 on its upper end. The spring I4 is also of the coil type and rests upon a spring seat I1 which may rock in a transverse direction 4 about a round bottom fulcrum I8 welded to the bottom thereof and received by afsocket I9 secured in the spring seat II., The top of this spring I4 receives the spring cap I6 jointly with the coil I3. The third spring I5 is composed of rubber of the type which resists vertical distortion by a combination of shearing, compression and bending stresses. This spring is received at its lower end by the spring cap I'I and extends upwardly for contact by the spring cap I6. A shaft 20 extends freely through a central opening in the spring I5 and is welded to the cap I6. An elongated bar 2I is welded to the top of the seat I6 and is rounded atits top for rocking engagement with an elongated seat 22 welded to the bolster I2. A fulcrum for transverse rocking movement of the bolster is thus provided.

The action of the bolster is as follows: under vertical loading of the spring nests by the bolster I2 under light load condition-that is, when the weight of an empty, stationary car body rests thereon, the springs I3 and I4 are deflected but there is no resistance by the spring I5. Additional static load and dynamic loading are resisted jointly by al1 springs, the load deection ratio of this combination increasing with increasing loading with the result that the springing becomes stiffer with increasing loading. The rubber spring I5 may be omitted in which case the vertical load deflection ratio will be substantially constant.

The spring seat II has two brackets 23 arising therefrom, one fore and one aft of the bolster. Each of the brackets has a pocket to receive a block of rubber 24 which has rubbing contact with the bolster I2. These blocks 24 guide the bolster in its vertical movements with respect to the frame members, they are the means through which a substantial portion of the driving and retarding forces are transmitted between the frame members and bolster and they constitute snubbers to damp the action of the springs I3, I4 and I5. It may be noted in this connection, that if the springs I3 and I4 are made slightly larger than hereinabove contemplated and if the snubbers are sulliciently in pressure contact with the bolster, the springs I5 may be omitted, and that they may, likewise, be omitted if shock absorbers are added between the bolster and the frame members.

The purpose of the pivotal spring seats I6 and II is to alter the characteristics of the springs I3, I4 and I5 under lateral movements of the This lateral movement, which is analogous to the swinging movements provided by conventional swing links, isr resisted by bending stresses in the spring I3 due to the fact that its bottom coil rests solidly on the spring seat II. The springs I4 and I5 merely tilt as the fulcrums I8 and 2 I rock in their sockets.

The resistance offered by the spring I3 may be increased by permitting its upper coil to rest solidly on the bolster I2, however, I have found that the lateral resistance should be small, initially and increase with increasing movement of the bolster. In other words, if the resistance to lateral movement of the bolster is soft enough to provide maximum riding comfort it must necessarily be brought to a rather sudden stop by some motion limiting means when turning corners and 'at times other than those that may be classified as ordinary straight lines riding conditions. In order to provide an increasing load deflection ratio I provide rubber. buttons 25, as best seen in Figure 5. These small rubber buttons or cylinders are carried by thev bolster and, when the bolster is centered, they may lightly contact the top of the spring cap I5. The sockets in the bolster which receive the buttons 25 are preferably tapered at their outer end to provide room for the rubber of the buttons to distort. Obviously, there is a wide range of choice in the selection of the kind and hardness of rubber and in the exact shape of its receiving socket so that the load deflection ratio may be selected according to conditions of operation. In fact, it is contemplated that the cars on a line of rough track may be equipped With one type of rubber and the cars operating under more favorable conditions may be equipped with a different type of rubber and that the operator of the cars may change the buttons as he may desire.

The driving motors 2S are provided where the trucks are to be self-propelled. They are supported directly by lateral members 27, one end 29 of each of which is hingedly connected to a frame member I or 2, and the other end of each thereof is supported on the frame members by spring nests 29a composed of a coil spring having a block of rubber concentrically therein. A similar spring nest 29 yieldingly resists upward movement of the members 27. These motors each has a propeller shaft 3B for driving certain gears contained by the axle housing 3i which drive the axles 4. Torque arms 32 integral with the axle housings 3i extend into brackets 33 integral with the frame members i and 2. These brackets have pockets to receive the arms 3l and to be cushioned with respect thereto by rubber pads 39 as shown- Figure 9. A pin 35 is inserted through openings in the top and bottom -walls of each bracket 33 and extends through aligned openings in the rubber pads 3d and the torque arm 32.

Various modifications may be made Without departing from the scope of my invention. For instance it is no consequence to my invention lwhether the cap i6 is between the coils and the bolster or between the coils and the frame members. I therefore desire to be extended protection as dened by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a rail truck, spaced axles having wheels and journal bearings, a truck frame comprising two identical sections, each of said sections having a rst end formation and a second formation to receive directly the two journal bearings respectively of one of said axles and to retain said bearings against relative fore yand aft and lateral movement with respect thereto, said first end formation being of interior and exterior arcuate shape, each of said sections also including a side rail integral therewith which terminates in a further formation of interior arcuate shape to receive the arcuate top of the first end formation of the other of said sections immediately above a journal bearing of the other of said axles whereby any one of said wheels is capable of elevation with respect to the other of said wheels but is rigidly held by said frame against out-ofparallel relation in response to horizontal forces, said sections being held in engagement with said bearings by gravity and freely removable from engagement with said journal bearings by vertical elevation therefrom.

2. In a rail truck, spaced axles having wheels and journal bearings, a truck frame comprising two identical sections, each of said sections having a for-mation to receive directly the journal bearings of one of said axles and to retain said bearings against relative fore and aft and horizontal movement with respect thereto, each of said sections also including a side rail which carries at its outer end a further formation to receive the top of one end of the other of said sections immediately above a journal bearing of the other of said axles, any one of said wheels is capable of elevation with respect to the others of said wheels but rigidly held by said frame against out-of-parallel relation in response to horizontal forces, said sections being held in engagement with said bearings by gravity and being freely removable from engagement with said journal bearings by vertical elevation therefrom, the ends of each of said side rails which overlie an end of the other of said sections being separated therefrom by a rubber pad.

3. In a rail truck, spaced axles having wheels and journal bearings, a truck frame comprising two identical sections, each of said sections having a formation to receive directly the journal bearings of one of said axles and to retain said bearings against relative fore and aft and horizontal movement with respect thereto, each of said sections also including a side rail which carries at its outer end a further formation to receive the top of one end of the other of said sections immediately above a journal bearing of the other of said axles, any one of said Wheels is capable of elevation with respect to the others of said wheels but rigidly held by said frame against out-of-parallel relation in response to horizontal forces, said sections being held in engagement with said bearings by gravity and being freely removable from engagement with said journal bearings by vertical elevation therefrom, and housings for said axles each having gearing therein for the rotation of one of said axles, and torque arms connecting said housings `and said frame and members.

4. In a rail truck, spaced axles having -wheels and journal bearings, a truck frame comprising two identical sections, each of said sections having two formations to receive the journal bearings at each end of one of said axles, each said formation having parallel sides which merge into an arcuate top portion having substantially the same radius as that of the journal bearings whereby said bearings of each axle are held thereby against relative movement with respect to one of said sections, said sections each having an integral side frame terminating in an arcuate portion adapted to overlie the arcuate formation of the other end of the other of said sections, said sections freely resting on said bearings and upon each other and being separable from engagement with said bearings and each other merely by vertical elevation thereof.

EMIL H. PIRON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,640,186 Buckwalter Aug. 23, 1927 1,640,963 Sanders Aug. 30, 1927 1,765,432 Lamont June 24, 1930 1,955,915 Howard et al Apr. 24, 1934 2,156,858 Bugatti July 18, 1939 2,184,102 Piron Dec. 19, 1939- 2, 251,95O Piron Aug. 12, 194.1 

